It’s easy to say “Don’t smoke because it’s bad for your skin,” but you already know the basic truth. It’s time to talk about just how damaging smoking is to your skin, and how significant and premature the effects can be.
You may be a 20-something social smoker who has only a few cigarettes on the weekends when you’re out with friends and don’t feel the need to quit because you see no signs of aging. Or, you may be a pack-a-day smoker who is a regular client at a spa because you see the deep lines, rough texture and skin discoloration. Either way, it’s time to start educating you in a way that is not lecturing, but enlightening.
Let’s start with the facts.
There is no miracle treatment or ingredient that will completely reverse the damage caused by years of smoking. However, for those of you who are making the choice to save your skin, you can help with treatments that will rehydrate the skin, revitalize the complexion and deliver the needed oxygen that’s been robbed by cigarettes.
Smoking chokes skin. The fountain of youth is in the bloodstream, but smoking cigarettes causes a restriction of the blood vessels, “choking” them, which then reduces blood supply to the skin. This results in a reduction in oxygen, which is necessary for cell regeneration and the ability to carry away damaging free radicals, so toxins build up and accelerate aging.
Even smoking a single cigarette can result in vasoconstriction for up to 90 minutes. Smoking for 10 minutes decreases tissue oxygen for almost an hour. That means a pack-a-day smoker will have skin with a reduced oxygen supply for most of the day.
Smoking thins skin. A recent British study focused on 25 pairs of identical twins, one a lifetime smoker and one who never smoked. Using an ultrasound to gauge skin thickness, the smokers’ skin was 25% thinner than the nonsmokers’, and was as much as 40% thinner in a few of the cases.2
Smoking destroys skin’s collagen and elastin. The appearance of wrinkles and loose or sagging skin is caused by the destruction of collagen and elastin—complex structural proteins that are necessary to keep skin firm, elastic and strong. Smoking robs skin of vitamin C, which is necessary for collagen production, and keeps skin soft and revitalized. It also interrupts the production of the matrix metalloproteinase enzyme, which regulates collagen production.
Smoking causes vertical lines around the mouth. When smokers take a puff from a cigarette, it forces the lips to pucker and form the same lines around the mouth over and over again. Throughout time, these contractions become permanent wrinkles. Pucker lines are a dead giveaway that someone is a smoker.
Smoking slows skin healing. Smoking delays the skin’s ability to regenerate. Wounds take longer to heal, and scars are more likely to form. Many good cosmetic surgeons won’t even operate on a smoker.
Even if you don’t see age signs yet, it can take up to 10 years to appear. So, don’t let it fool you, it’s coming.
Sarah
Visit my Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/skincaretips
No related posts.